President Santokhi gives the go-ahead for the construction of a deep-water port

Office of the President release

President Chandrikapersad Santokhi has officially given the go-ahead for the construction of a new deep-water port, called Port of Nickerie. It is planned to complete the port in 2025. The Port of Nickerie is an initiative of the Surinamese government in collaboration with NV Havenbeheer Suriname, Phoenix Development Company and Port of Rotterdam. The go-ahead was given on November 21, 2022. On this occasion, the official documents required for this project were handed over to the tenant NV Havenbeheer. The head of state was allowed to put the Port of Nickerie webpage online with the push of a button.

The port is part of a larger plan to create an economic hub in Nickerie. The strategic location of the port in the center of the Suriname-Guyana basin will enable efficient services to take full advantage of the oil and gas discoveries north of Nickerie. In addition, the Port of Nickerie will also provide market access to the Caricom and Northern Brazil. “This project should be seen against the background of the larger sub-regional development and connects Suriname with Guyana, Brazil and the region,” said President Santokhi.

The focus is on providing advanced technologies within the infrastructure, with the protection of nature in mind, so a green and sustainable port where mangrove forests will also be created. A buffer zone with space for ecotourism will be created between the port and the protected nature. There will also be an industrial area where gas that would otherwise be flared will be processed into usable LNG gas (Liquefied Natural Gas) for export. President Santokhi announced that this is working on phasing out fossil fuels so that Suriname will be green energy neutral by 2060.